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Thursday, April 5, 2012

El Shater and the Salafists : The tango the MB does not want the West to See

Since the announcement that he will run the presidential elections and despite he has not spoken to the media nor to the public up till this moment , Khairat El Shater has been in talks since last Tuesday publicly and privately with the Salafist powers in Egypt.
It is not surprise then El Shater would announce that applying the Islamic Sharia in Egypt and having a council made of Islamic Sharia are the first and final goal he will do. El Shater in the past two days travelled between Cairo and Alexandria to convince the famous Salafist sheikhs and associations to endorse him instead of Hazem Abu Ismail regardless of how much the brotherhood and the his kids denied online and offline.
El Dao’a El Salafya group in Alexandria , which is from the most and powerful Salafist groups in Egypt seems to be endorsing El Shater for presidency indirectly and on Tuesday they held talks with Hazem Abu Ismail to convince to accept the vice president position with El Shater but the man refused. Despite the MB has denied this expressing all respect to Abu Ismail , in an interview to Al Arabiya News Network the controversial Salafist presidential candidate admitted that he is facing pressure from Salafist powers to drop his candidacy for the MB’s leader. Officially Dao’a El Salafya has not announced yet its endorsement to any presidential candidate because they wait for the final appeals in mid April.
It is a clever thing from their side because actually both Abu Ismail and El Shater have their own legal problem that may bar them from presidential candidacy.
Those people who do not understand the connection between El Shater and the Salafists must know that Shater is from the conservative Qutbist branc in the Muslim brotherhood that is close in the way of thinking to the Salafists. That conservative branch is already controlling the Muslim brotherhood and it embraces the ideas of the ideas of late Siyad Qutb.
Most of the laws proposed up till now in the parliament related mostly to restricting freedoms or women’s freedom in a way that pleases the Salafists is approved by MB. The women’s laws are the best example
It is a big irony that the brotherhood markets itself as less conservative or rather moderate Islamist in the west using its media machine where as back home in Egypt they seek the alliance with the Salafists. Already contrary to all analysts and observers "whether from Egypt or outside" , the MB did not form an alliance with the liberal powers and parties in the parliament against the Salafists but what you know , they are having this unholy tango in politics that will harm them both.

Khairat with Yousry

We should have seen coming , El Shater is not only a close friend Mohamed Yousry ,the Salafist sheikh who ran against the parliamentary elections against MP Mostafa Al Naggar but he also endorsed him officially in that election that he lost. El Naggar faced unethical campaign then reached to the level of suspecting his religious beliefs. Yousry who is believed to be a business associate of El Shater is a member of the constituent assembly.
The Salafist vote is important for the Muslim brotherhood because it is secured unlike the regular Egyptian vote as far as I could tell unfortunately. For months a group of influential Sheikhs kept their endorsement as some holy secret surprising the supporters of Hazem Saleh Abu El Ismail.
For the Islamist researchers there is no surprise why the Salafist Sheikhs have been hesitant because simply Abu El Ismail is considered a revolutionary from political point of view to them in a way that they do not like it.
It is worth to remind the people that many of Salafist sheikhs have had connections with state security in the past that supported in order to besiege the influence of brotherhood and Islamic group. The Salafists Sheikhs have been very good helpers to the regime especially with their beliefs that people should not revolt against the rulers.
After the revolution it was not surprising or shocking to know some of the Salafist Sheikhs used to convince the families of martyrs in Alex that they should accept compensation of the ministry of interior and drop the lawsuits against the murderers of their kids. Sheikh Mohamed Hassan has been more than supportive to SCAF praying for them at the Holy Land as well collecting billions of pounds to face the American blackmail to Egypt !!? “Where is that money now?”
Anyhow back to the Salafists and El Shater , despite he is currently this important voting bloc the Salafists , the regular Salafists are completely angry from his candidacy and consider him the SCAF’s candidate to fight Abu Ismail and to divide the Islamist vote.
The confession of Khadija El Shater that the MB was thinking about endorsing Abu Ismail but changed its mind after knowing from officials that he will not be able to run because of legal problems. “Abu Ismail’s mom’s American citizenship”. The confession of El Shater’s daughter was regarded by many Salafists as a sign on how the brotherhood was plotting against Abu Ismail along with the States and SCAF !!
Officially according the leading figures of both MB and FJP Abu Ismail was out of their radar from the beginning and logically the MB could not support him because of the brotherhood’s image in the West. Not only Abu Ismail got radical ultra conservative religious views but we got a man who believes that Obama was just a lawyer and Clinton was farmer in Wisconsin before becoming the President of States.
I was surprised by how many Salafist tweeps from Abu Ismail hardcore fans announcing that they are going to vote for Abdel Moneim Abu El Fotoh if Abu Ismail is forced to leave the case in retaliation.
The Abu Ismail fans from Salafists are having a huge shock especially after El Shater’s candidacy as they are considered newbies in politics and it seems that they believe that an Islamic politician will have ethics , well this is in a perfect societies but politicians are politicians and Muslim brotherhood is a political manipulative group regardless of how much they claim. The shock was doubled with the American Passport saga.
Now it is the big question : Will El Shater get the Salafist vote if his candidacy is accept and got the blessing of the Salafist Sheikhs whether Abu Ismail is in or outside the race ?

4 comments
:

Imagine if there were actual campaigning time, like a full year, real democracy would emerge. All this competition.

It's enjoyable to follow as Salafists are finally open for critique, it must be healthy for Egypt. Were there more time they would play themselves out... I hope there will be another free elections in Egypt.

What sort of smug is this El Shater? Running for presidency and has not addressed the Egyptian people - face to face. The people are the ones who chooses him! He should win the Egyptians on his side not some TV-sheikhs and prominent Salafist figures.

With all due respect, I would wish Aboul Fotoh to win... but if it's not Islamist then it is Amr Moussa who wins.

I believed that what El Shater has done up till now, he has his own circumstances, his own reason. Of course, it's not just personally, but, also includes the Egyptian people. We, the observer, may be able to say anything about what people do, but, in the end, it is Allah who TRULY knows, what HIS creations intentions. I would also believes, that, the Salafist and MB, are able to sit in one table and discussing to reach the purpose and solve the problems, while, able to tolerate each other core principles. Regarding the action of MB, that are trying to associate themselves with the Salafist, I don't think that they are changing their principles to be the same as the Salafist, but it is to build a good rapport between them, to strengthen the root of this nation first! (Bothe the MB and Salafist are the main power of this country). Moreover, I'm sure, what MB has done has its own motives. All for the benefits of this beloved Egyptian country.

If El Shater is the best that Egypt can come up with, I feel sad for Egypt. I can't see what his achievements are exactly. Like most Islamists he looks like he has just eaten a whole lamb in one sitting. Pity the young of Egypt. They are going to have to start thinking and living like old men & women. Tahrir is haraam. Protesting is haraam. Every month is Ramadan.

He has his own mysterious reasons - he is in CONTACT - he can break his promises - he can LIE. Because he LOVES his country and his RELIGION. Sure...

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